ABA/NEBA Forum Generates Fruitful Discussions

The American Booksellers Association, in conjunction with the New England Booksellers Association (NEBA), held a Booksellers Forum at the National Yiddish Book Center on the grounds of Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, on Thursday, April 22. The forum, the second of the season in the New England area, followed the NEBA meetings and a meeting of the New England Children's Bookselling Advisory Council (NECBA).

ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz, COO Oren Teicher, and Board member Suzanne Staubach of UConn Co-op in Storrs, Connecticut, led the Amherst forum, which included a Book Sense gift card demonstration and updates on other ABA programs and initiatives including efforts to amend Section 215 of the Patriot Act and ABA programming at this year's BookExpo America.

NEBA President Eric Wilska of The Book Loft in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, said the forum went well and was attended by about 25 - 30 booksellers.

At the forum, Wilska decided to join the Book Sense electronic gift card program. "I heard from booksellers whose judgement I respect" about how successful the gift program is, he said. "We're gonna join, I've got the paperwork right before me."

Wilska said he also voiced his concern about the many bookmarks and other promotional materials from publishers and authors that take customers to one Web site to purchase books, often an online site or a chain store, without offering an independent option. "I made a pitch that ABA needs to take an educational role about the increasing number of bookmarks from publishers and authors that drive customers to one site. It's kind of insidious."

Wilska continued, "All I'm asking for is that publishers and authors give customers a crack at determining where to buy the books. There needs to be a fuller spectrum of booksellers added to Web sites." Wilska noted that when he brought the issue to the attention of publishers, they added a link to an individual independent bookseller and/or to BookSense.com. "Most people don't think about [the lack of choice]," said Wilska. "But when they're alerted to it, they change."

Judy Crosby of Island Books in Middletown, Rhode Island, said she was "surprised how frequently bookmarks routed customers to Amazon.com" and wanted to see fostered "a general awareness of publishers and authors to include a BookSense.com link."

Regarding the progress of the Campaign for Reader Privacy (CRP), a nationwide grassroots effort to restore safeguards for the privacy of bookstore and library records eliminated by Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act, Crosby told BTW, "Most everybody mentioned that they kept the petitions [available to sign], and they were amazed how many people signed without [the bookseller] needing to tell them what it was about. We don't have to convince people to sign by any means."

Another forum topic was the distribution of Nielsen BookScan data, said Crosby. "We talked about how we haven't been separating independent sales in BookScan to report to publishers," said Crosby, who was in favor of reporting the information. "It would be good to get recognition for books that independent booksellers put on the map."

Mark Brumberg of National Yiddish Book Center Bookstore in Amherst, Massachusetts, was happy to host the forum at the center, which is a museum, bookstore, theater, and performing arts venue in one 20,000-square-foot space. "Many New England booksellers had never been to the Yiddish Center," said Brumberg. "I was talking with Rusty [Drugan] at NEBA, and he thought it was a good idea. We held the forum in our theater. It's state of the art."

Brumberg told BTW, "It's nice to see booksellers. Usually I only see them at the NEBA trade show or at BEA. This was more relaxed than the typical craziness of the convention floor." --Karen Schechner